


Like Father, Like Son

by Ladytalon



Category: Day Break
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-09
Updated: 2010-06-09
Packaged: 2017-10-10 00:31:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/93302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladytalon/pseuds/Ladytalon





	Like Father, Like Son

  


  


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Turning off the stove burner, Chad washed his hands and called out for his youngest child who had been running around playing with the plastic airplane Andrea had brought home for him. Silence answered him and he tossed the towel on the counter to go in search of Joey, who was most likely hiding under something waiting to pounce as soon as Chad walked by. When a thorough search of the house had been conducted and no giggling five year old was discovered, Chad was at first annoyed, then worried – they lived in a good neighborhood and it was well known that both he and Andrea were LAPD, but you never knew.

"Joey?" he called loudly, cocking his head to listen for the slightest sound in response. Walking to the door, Chad opened it and went outside to yell for his son – Joey knew full well he wasn't allowed outside without supervision, but he always had to push just to see how far they'd go. "Joey!"

Circling around the side of the house and going into the backyard, he drew breath for another yell when a faint sound caught his attention. Glancing around wildly, even checking in the trash bins to see if Joey had somehow gotten trapped inside them, he was reaching for his phone to call Andrea – she'd most likely kill him when she found out that he'd managed to lose their son – and he heard it again. This time he clearly heard the quiet sob of "Daddy!" coming from somewhere near him.

Where the hell was that boy? Chad looked around again at the ground near his feet and rested a hand on the tree right beside him. "Joey, where-"

"_Daddy! _"

Chad sighed and stared hard at the tree trunk. "Joseph Shelten, if you're really up this tree…"

"I'm s-suh-sowwy, Daddy," Joey wailed. "Can't get _down_."

He stepped back and looked up to see his son clinging to one of the highest branches, trembling so hard that it was a miracle he hadn't fallen out already. "How…how'd you get up there?" Chad asked, scratching his head. Joey just shook his head, scared out of his mind. "We'll talk about it later; let's get you down."

Joey's eyes widened even more when Chad held out his arms to see if he would jump down. "Noooo," the little boy said, shaking his head and clinging determinedly to his branch. A hiccupping sob wracked his tiny frame, and a pair of big brown eyes were turned Chad's way pleadingly. "I'm scawwed."

Chad sighed. "Okay, I'll come up to get you. Will you come down with me if I climb up with you?"

Joey nodded tearfully, then shook his head. "Will I get paddled?"

Oh, for God's sake. "This isn't a situation you can bargain yourself out of," Chad said, pinching the bridge of his nose and making a mental note to keep 'Uncle' Steve Romero from babysitting in the future. "Now, I'm coming up there and either we both come down, or we stay up there until Mommy comes home from work and gets us down."

Joey's eyes nearly popped from his head at this mention of Andrea, and the inference that she might be angry with him. "O-Okay."

Chad grabbed one of the lower branches and swung himself up, climbing up carefully to where the terrified Joey was curled around a branch. "Alright, c'mere." The little boy flung himself into Chad's arms and started sobbing, and Chad had his hands full figuratively as well as literally trying to calm Joey down enough so he could carry him back down to the ground.

Several minutes and outbursts of "Eeep!" later, they were back on the ground and Joey looked up from where he'd pressed his face into Chad's neck. "Daddy, I'm-"

"I know you are," Chad said, rumpling his son's light brown curls. "Let's get you in for a bath before Mommy and Jamie come home, okay?" After he'd been set back on the grass, Joey reached a hand up for Chad's and trotted along into the house for his bath. "You know you're not supposed to go outside alone," Chad reminded the little boy as soon as Joey was splashing around in the bathtub. "What were you doing up there in that tree?"

Joey's eyes grew wide again. "Awe you gonna tell Mommy what I did?" he asked softly, looking so pitiful that Chad sighed.

"We'll see."

"I was just twying to be like you," Joey whispered, tears welling in eyes that were entirely too much like his mother's. He'd had never been able to resist those eyes. Besides, it was his fault that Joey had seen him climbing during a training session when Chad hadn't been able to find a babysitter.

Chad came to a decision and reached over to grab the bottle of baby shampoo. "Duck under the water so I can wash your hair… here's what we'll do: I won't tell Mommy you were outside climbing things, but if I catch you doing it again then I'll tell her." He'd have a longer talk with Joey about safety during the upcoming weekend. "Deal?"

His son smiled up at him, showing all but his two missing baby teeth that were making him lisp. "Deal." Once Joey had struggled into his clean clothes and was running around the bathroom, Chad chased him into the kitchen and lifted the little boy up onto the counter while he finished dinner preparations.

Joey shifted worriedly when they heard the door open. "How are my boys?" Andrea asked tenderly, coming in to kiss Chad and cuddle Joey against her. "Jamie's out looking for a bracelet in the car – she swears it was there this morning," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"I found it just outside the door," Chad commented, drawing his wife close for another kiss. "You're looking very…_very_ today," he said, using the playful omission they used instead of the word 'sexy' to describe each other – ever since Joey informed the mailman that he was sexy, they'd had to watch what they said around the little parrot. Jamie came in, looking annoyed at the loss of her bracelet, and he pointed it out to her before snagging her elbow. "Hey _hey_ hey – go set the table, midget."

"Hey hey _hey_, I've got homework!"

"Not right now, you don't." She heaved a huge sigh and went off to gather up the dishes and silverware, pretending not to think it was funny when he poked her in the side gently. "Hustle your bustle, Boogie."

"That's what Grandpa Joe always says!" Jamie said, giggling at the nickname. "'Fan your fanny.'"

"'Push your tush.'"

"'Bust your butt.'"

"That's _enough_," Andrea announced. "Aren't you supposed to be setting the table, little miss?" Jamie sighed and scurried off, and she turned to look at the normally rambunctious Joey who had his eyes fixed on his shoes.

They sat down to dinner, Chad keeping an eye on Joey who looked so sorrowful that it was nearly funny. Andrea knew something was going on and looked at him questioningly but he shook his head slightly, telling her with his eyes that he'd fill her in on it after the kids were in bed. Joey just sat quietly and ate so slowly that Andrea finally remarked on it. "You're pretty quiet today, sweetie."

And that was it – Joey dropped his fork into his potatoes and began to howl. "I'm _sowwy_, Mommy!"

Chad put a hand over his eyes and shook his head.

Jamie stared across at Joey, a smile creeping over her face at the drama unfolding right there at the dinner table. As much as Chad adored his firstborn, he had swiftly learned that whenever she had the opportunity to torment her little brother, she grabbed on with both hands. "Why don't you go on up to your room and work on your homework?" Chad suggested.

"But then I'll miss… okay, I'll go," Jamie huffed when he leveled a glare at her.

She flounced off and Chad turned his attention back to where Joey was snuffling against Andrea's shoulder. "I w-was just twying to…to…"

Andrea patted Joey on the back when the distressed little boy started to hiccup uncontrollably, looking over at Chad with an amused look on her face. "And did you promise not to do that again?"

"Y-yuh-yuh-yes," he hiccupped.

"We'll have to watch you all the time now, until you show us you can behave," she warned gently.

Joey raised traumatized eyes to hers. "B-but I'm _sowwy! _"

"I know you are, baby. But you've got to show us that you are." She took the tissue Chad held out to her and held it to their son's face so he could blow his nose, and kissed the top of Joey's head. "Can you finish cleaning your plate now?" Joey nodded, and with a final pat Andrea put him back in his chair where he picked his fork back up, sniffling. Chad walked into the living room to close the shades, and Andrea followed him, sighing. "How'd he get up there?"

Chad looked over to where Joey was digging into his peas. "Your guess is as good as mine. I'll start locking the deadbolt whenever he's in here with me."

His petite wife slipped an arm around his waist and leaned against him, and they both watched their youngest spill a forkful of peas all over the floor. "He's a lot like you."

"I don't spill peas on the floor," Chad reminded her.

Andrea smiled up at him. "Maybe not anymore… but that wasn't what I was talking about."

"Then what did you-"

For some reason, she pushed away from him and scowled. "I can't believe you don't know what I'm talking about."

Chad blinked in surprise, trying hard to think of what it was that he was supposed to know. She looked pretty upset that he didn't have an answer for her. "You're not… _mad_ at me, are you?"

Andrea surprised him further by starting to laugh and hauling his head down for a kiss. "No, I'm not."

He exhaled in relief. "Good."

For some reason, that just made her laugh harder.

~_fin_~  
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